Alleppey, Kerala Holidays, India

The Parayil family were among the first to convert their traditional Keralan mansion into a heritage guest house, and Olavipe continues to be the benchmark property in the backwaters region. Set on a working organic farm, the old house occupies an atmospheric time warp where the clocks stood still sometime in the 1920s.

Its rooms, shaded by a canopy of tropical foliage, are vast and cool and retain their original furniture and fixtures. Meals (made with farm-fresh ingredients) are served on a deep verandah overlooking a sandy walled courtyard. Ask to borrow a cycle for a tour of the pretty lanes winding through the fruit orchards and coconut groves of the surrounding estate.

Our opinion

One of our favourite homestays in Kerala, Olavipe offers a very genuine experience of the backwaters; simple local food and comfortable en suite accommodation.